Lalji Singh (1947–2017)

The recent unfortunate demise of Prof. Lalji Singh, also known as the ‘Father of DNA Fingerprinting in India’ on 10 December2017 in Varanasi, at the age of70 years, has created a void among the biotechnology fraternity spread all over the country. Singh was an excellent scientist, a talented administrator, institution builder and a social worker. He followed the maxim ‘simple living and high thinking’, which advocates that a person should lead his life with minimum wants, but one’s thinking should be high to serve the people with great deeds. He was born on 5 July 1947 in a small village named Kalwari in Jaunpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India. His father Suryanarayan Singh was a farmer and Mukhiya (Head) of the village. Singh completed his primary and secondary school education at Kalwari and Pratapganj villages respectively. He obtained his B Sc degree in Zoology and Cytogenetics in 1964from Banaras Hindu University (BHU), Varanasi, followed by an M Sc degree with gold medal for having secured first rank in the merit order. In 1971, he was awarded his doctoral degree at BHU, for his work on the ‘Evolution of karyotypes in snakes’ under the guidance of S. P.Ray Chaudhuri. A summary of his findings was published in Chromosoma¹.